Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-04
PROHIBITION.
What the newspapers Of the State Say
of the Contest in Texas Over
Alcohol and Malt.
Arguments Pro md rguments Con Which
Are Favored With the Usual Jour
naIistic Condiments.

The tax on property in Texas ct 374
cents would not be so burdensome were
il not that Texas is new aRd large and the
greatest portion of this property is IN
productive. a higher rate would be pos
sible, it is true, though enforcing it would
involve change of property ownership.
II owners were compelled by high taxes
to sell unproductive lands, or rather nom
producing lands, Texas has such pros
poets tkSt ROn-reEide3tS would
readily be induced to purchase,
awaiting development and pay
ing taxes meanwhile, Perhaps the
consideration OF the necessities Of resi-
dent property owners ought not to pre-
vent measures which require an imme-
diate and burGensome increase of the tax
on property such as would follow the
adoption of the prohibition amendment.
Perbsps noR-residents and alien capital
lists, whose greed for fertile acres turns
toward Texas, have more claim upon the
consideration of the philanthropic party
than the struggling people of Texas, who
have made the lands taX-earning. Under
g practically unanimous Democratic
rule Texas is fairly prosperous, and
taxes are Cheerfully paid. The state
obtains S550,000 per annum from
liquor dealers; the counties S275, 200, and
the cities and towns half as much as the
counties, from the license tax alone. This
is nearly 100000 which the liquor
traffic pays for the support of state and
municipal government every year in the
way Of license tax, to say nothing of the
tax which it pays on property. This
revenue is required, and if the license
tax is prohibited, must be derived from
the tax on property. To obtain $l,000,-
900 by a property tax, the rate must
be increased not less than 20 cents on the
800 of property. The state, school and
municipal taxes on property must be in
creased at the same rate. Those who are
strugg ling must struggle the more to pre-
serve their property. 1t is said that the
rural population favOrs the abolition of
the liquor traffic, and so would shoulde.
this increased tax burden. This is the
same year of our Lord and the
Twentieth Legislature in which q
bill was passed for the relief of
the rural population; bill was passed
pOstpOning tax collections, because it
was urged money was too scarce to ena-
BILE them to pay the present low assess
which it is found that the revenue for the
support of the public schools is INSULT
cient, although the allowance per capita
is reduced. aWill the people, so embar-
raised by present taxation, be able and
willing to pay 100000 more than they
now pay? If there is any department of
government that must suffer-shouId the
people refuse to sustain the
increased burden-Will it not be
first the public schools? The executive
departments, boards and bureaus, the
judicial and the legislative departments
cannot be prohibited. They are here to
stay, blossom and multiply. From a
financial ana economic standpoint prOhi-
bitiOn seems to threaten greater injury
TO the public schools, and promise great
er benefit to non residents and foreign
Iand-grabbers than injury to liquor deal
ers and benefit to society. Do the home
steaders of Texas want to tackle a state
tax of sd cents?-T Dallas News.
We would be pleased to know why the
estate central committee" was SO pRrtic-
ulsr as not to desire men engaged in the
whisky trade to be sent as delegates?
Does the committee think it dishonOrable
to associate with such men or does it be
ieVe that the traffic in liquors is so hid
eOus that it would ruin the standing of
the convention? The circular call does
most assuredly leave that Impression on
the minds of its readers. Yet it calls
loudly on the dealers in liquors
to attend the polls. Mark you
the language, it says: con election day
every one should close up and go to the
polls and work. Ask the people not to
starve your families to enrich druggists
and doctors"
1t seems the committee thinks those
engaged in the business would be very
useful to work and to be at the polls and
to vote, but don't want them to be in the
convention and take part iG the discussion
and plans adopted for the work, take no
hand in the management of the campaign,
but only act in obedience to the diCtatiOn
and command of the leaders who will as
semble on that occasion, and when the
battle is fought should the ants win then
these leaders would have all the glory
and claim all of the rewards in the wsy
of Official position. The state central
committee would be q considerable sized
Isaac then.
RecOlIect they want delegates to "the
Dallas political convention" that meets
May I. What sort of q political conven-
ton would you call it? Barney Gibbs,
Governor, elected by the
Democrats of Texas, DIR. Cochran, candi-
date for Governor on the Republican
ticket. Would you call it Republican
Democratic or Democratic Republican
or would you call it mon
grel? It cannot be either Democratic or
We want to know what
kind Of political convention it will be.
The question before the people is, whisky
or no whisky Bonham News.
-
What if the prohibition amendment
carries? VIII it plunge the state in ruin,
ill our iails with criminals, break down
our public institutions, ruin the youth OF
our country before they have scarcely
placed their feet on the threshold of man
hood, demorslize society, wreck the nap
piness of wives, mothers and sisters and
US with the CALLING chains and |
ini0ujtOuS woke of slavery? Certainly !